Knowing how to find the cheapest flights is the essential first step for any budget vacation. I was able to fly so frequently on my early 20’s waitress salary because of this!
I have personally used these strategies for years!
In this post, I use my tried and true tips to answer your burning questions and save you time, frustration, and money when booking your next flight.
Here’s how to find the cheapest flights-
Do flight prices go up the more you search?
The #1 enemy to finding cheap flights? Cookies.
When you visit most websites that allow you to make purchases, small cookie files are saved to your computer.
Based on the cookies in your browser, flight prices increase when a specific route is repeatedly searched.
This can pressure you into booking the flight quickly, thinking prices are rising fast because everyone’s booking when in reality… you’re bidding against yourself.
How to avoid this
1. Always search for flights in incognito or private browsing mode. The cookies in your browser are reset each time you re-open an incognito/private window. Start with a clean slate for each flight search (so your previous searches aren’t remembered), close all your incognito/private windows, and then open a new one.
2. Avoid searching for your destination on social media until you have booked the flight since those websites also store specific data and communicate with major search engines.
Can you get cheaper flight prices using a VPN?
If you thought you tasted a nasty cookie earlier, wait until you hear about Dynamic Pricing.
Dynamic Pricing structures consider user location, customer accounts, past flights, and shopping trends to create individualized flight prices that are different for everybody.
Basically, websites purposely quote different prices depending on your region and history.
A VPN will help you browse anonymously. This is different than searching on Incognito/private.
What’s the Difference Between VPN and Private Browsing?
- Incognito/Private mode hides your browsing information
- VPN (Virtual Private Network) encrypts information from your computer to the virtual network and will show you as browsing from their network, not your computer
Notes
-Google Flight prices remain pretty consistent, regardless of location
-Typically, discounts are only in tens of dollars, with some exceptions
-This trick is trip-specific. The VPN server and flight combination might give you a discount at one time but not at others
What is the best place to book cheap flights?
3 Reasons to use a flight search website
1. Major search sites (like Google) don’t list smaller, budget airlines.
2. Most search engines won’t consider sites that aren’t in English, which excludes smaller foreign airlines.
3. Search engines will only display prices taken directly from airlines, not sales or promotions those airlines have on other brands or websites.
The sites I use to book flights
For browsing and tracking flight prices: Google Flights
For booking flights asap: Skyscanner
For last-minute deals: Expedia
Google Flights is an excellent tool for quickly comparing future flights—not always the best prices, but the most user-friendly for research purposes.
Skyscanner is my #1 choice for booking because it searches all major, budget, and non-English airlines, something most big-name search engines miss. If you’re looking to book a flight ASAP, use Skyscanner.
Expedia is my favorite for last-minute flight deals, although the cancellation policy isn’t always the best.
Does the day you book a flight matter?
If you’ve ever searched for how to find the cheapest flights, you’ve probably heard flying out on a Tuesday is always the cheapest. While it’s usually less expensive to leave on a weekday, the truth is there is no set ‘cheapest day to fly.’
The best strategy is to get an idea of the prices for the month to identify the cheapest week and days in that week.
How to find the cheapest days to book flights using Skyscanner
First
Hop on the Skyscanner website.
Enter your departure and arrival cities.
Select “one-way” (even if flying round trip – you’re just determining the cheapest days to fly out first).
Next
1. Click “Search Flights”
2. Click “Depart”
3. Select “Whole Month”
4. Select “Cheapest Month”
5. Hit “Search flights” to see which date is the cheapest
In the app
1. Tap the departure date
2. Change the view to “Chart”
3. Swipe to find the best date, then tap the bars to see the price
If you have a return flight, simply repeat these steps.
You can still book a round trip in one booking; you’re doing these steps first to determine which dates are generally cheaper to fly on.
How far out should you book a flight?
For the best deals, buy plane tickets 1-3 months in advance for domestic flights and 2-8 months in advance for international flights.
If you’re traveling during the off-season, you’re more likely to see cheap fares pop up closer to the departure date.
So, how far out should you book a flight?
The best time to book a great fare is as soon as you see a good deal- not waiting.
The month you want to fly is not the month you want to buy.
Can you save money on flights by joining email lists?
Many airlines will not credit you for the miles you’ve flown unless you sign up for their free rewards programs.
This requires you to join their email list, which also means you’ll get exclusive deals and sales on cheap flights.
No guide on how to find the cheapest flights would be complete without this tip:
I have an airline rewards account with every airline I’ve flown with. It doesn’t require any extra spending, so why not?
Sign up for all airline rewards programs no matter how often you fly.
Are flights with layovers cheaper?
Layovers can give you a few hours to chill at an airport between flights. If you have a super long layover, why not explore?
Sometimes, airport adventures are just as much a part of the journey.
If you’ve got a shorter layover, you need to decide if leaving the airport is worth your time since you will have to go through security on your way back in.
Don’t forget your most powerful portable charger!
Questions to ask when debating a layover
Just go on down the list-
- Do you need to go through immigration?
- How long will airport security take?
- Will there be considerable traffic at the time you are returning to the airport?
- How long will it take you to get to and from the airport?
How does traveling in the off-season save money?
Off-season is the perfect time of year when a destination experiences the least amount of tourist activity, usually due to weather conditions.
This is prime time for cheap flights, hotels, and tours.
Summer is almost always the high season, while winter is almost always the low season. There are exceptions- snowy winter is busy for ski towns, for example, and any holiday is considered a busy season.
Cheaper flights, accommodations, and fewer tourists light my fire for off-season travel, and I’ve gotten some of the best deals and best photographs during these times.
Can you set up alerts for cheap flights?
How do you expect to find the cheapest flights if you don’t look every day?
And who has time for that?
If you have a specific destination in mind but flexible dates, you need flight alerts, which will update you when a specific route’s price changes.
How to set up flight alerts with Skyscanner
- Open Skyscanner online or in the app
- Search for the flight that you are interested in
- Select the bell icon in the bottom-left of the app (or top-left on the desktop)
- Hit ‘Create’
All done! You’ll be notified if the price goes up or down and by how much.
How to set up flight alerts with Google Flights
- Open Google Flights.
- At the top, choose the number of stops and how many tickets you need
- Choose your departure airport
- Turn on the switch next to “Track prices”
- Optional: To track prices for a specific flight, choose your flights, then click Track price
You’re all set!
Are low-cost airlines really cheaper?
In Ye Olde Days, if you wanted to fly between continents, you were stuck with the traditional, big-name, expensive airlines…..
Thankfully, those days are over, and the larger airlines are being strong-armed by competitive prices from budget carriers.
There are specific trade-offs to flying economy, like extra charges for things once considered standard, like carry-ons (so make sure you invest in a good one!)
They also usually don’t offer free food or amenities. Learn to pack specifically for budget airlines, and you’re good to go.
Best budget airlines across the world
United States
Canada
Europe
- Vueling
- Ryanair
- Easyjet (Note: HORRIBLE customer service, even for a budget airline)
- Eurowings
- Norwegian Air
- Wizz Air
Asia
- Air Asia
- Tiger Air
- Jeju Air
- JetStar
- Hong Kong Express
- Spice Jet
- Vanilla Air
- Cebu Pacific
- VietJet Air
Budget Airline Tips:
- Get the list. If you aren’t sure which budget airlines fly in your area, visit your departure airport’s website to get a list of airlines.
- Be wary of hidden fees. Budget airlines usually make flights cheap by charging fees for carry-ons, seat selection, and other things.
- If you want to select your seat and bring extra outfits, be sure to add up the ticket’s cost and the fees to make sure that the price is lower than a larger carrier.
- Always consider luggage weight. Check your suitcase weight at home don’t wait to pay more at the gate!
Do extra research if you haven’t flown with a specific company before- not all budget airlines are created equal.
Can you really travel for free with credit card points?
If free is your favorite type of cheap, you’ll love this hack.
The two types of rewards cards:
Type 1: Brand-specific cards that earn points with a particular airline.
Type 2: General travel rewards cards that let you redeem points across various airlines, hotels, and rental cars.
I personally use the Chase Sapphire because I never have to pay for rental car insurance and get extra points for travel purchases.
Bonus: There is always a sign-up bonus, usually $750 worth of travel when redeemed through Chase Ultimate Rewards ($600 cash)!
7 Things I love about the Sapphire
1. No foreign transaction fees
2. Free rental car insurance (which I have personally used and successfully filed a claim with) when you purchase the lease agreement on the card
3. No blackout dates or restrictions
4. Extra points for all travel or dining purchases made on the card
5. Trip Cancellation / Interruption Insurance
6. Baggage Delay Insurance (reimbursement for the purchase of essential items when baggage is delayed or lost)
7. Rewards points can be transferred to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs
The truth of how I got the credit card bonus
The sign-up bonus requires spending a certain amount within the first few months of getting the card. When I first got my card, I was dead broke. I charged all of my bills to it (and paid them off immediately) to get the sign-on bonus.
Can I get a student discount on air tickets?
If you are a student, there are a ton of discounts available to you.
You can find prices up to 30% off the original fare! If you’re unsure which airlines offer discounts, contact them directly (the website is usually the fastest route).
Is it cheaper to search for prices for individual travelers?
If you’re traveling with companions, don’t search for or buy multiple tickets in a single purchase. Airlines always show the highest ticket price in a group of tickets, meaning you’ll pay more.
Example:
You’re a group of 3 searching for 3 seats.
The airline finds 3 seats together and shows you a fare based on the highest ticket price of those 3.
So if seat A is $100, seat B is $150, and Seat C is $200, you will see the price as $200 per ticket instead of adding up each individual ticket price.
Always search for tickets as a single traveler. In the checkout process, you have the option to select seats together.
Take Flight
So now you know how to find the cheapest flights. Flying doesn’t have to be expensive if you know how to find deals and are willing to put in the effort!
If you have questions, feel free to comment below I’d love to help!
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